N-acetyltransferase 2 (arylamine N-acetyltransferase), also known as NAT2, is an
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...
which in humans is encoded by the ''NAT2''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
.
Function
This gene encodes a type of
N-acetyltransferase N-acetyltransferase (NAT) is an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of acetyl groups from acetyl-CoA to arylamines, arylhydroxylamines and arylhydrazines. They have wide specificity for aromatic amines, particularly serotonin, and can also catal ...
. The NAT2
isozyme In biochemistry, isozymes (also known as isoenzymes or more generally as multiple forms of enzymes) are enzymes that differ in amino acid sequence but catalyze the same chemical reaction. Isozymes usually have different kinetic parameters (e.g. dif ...
functions to both activate and deactivate arylamine and
hydrazine drugs and carcinogens. Polymorphisms in this gene are responsible for the N-acetylation polymorphism in which human populations segregate into rapid, intermediate, and slow
acetylator phenotype
In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological pr ...
s. Polymorphisms in NAT2 are also associated with higher incidences of cancer and drug toxicity. A second arylamine N-acetyltransferase gene (
NAT1
N-acetyltransferase 1 (arylamine N-acetyltransferase) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NAT1 gene.
This gene is one of two arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) genes in the human genome, and is orthologous to the mouse and rat NAT2 ...
) is located near NAT2.
Phenotype prediction
The NAT2 acetylator phenotype can be inferred from NAT2 genotype (a combination of
SNPs observed in a given individual).
References
Further reading
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External links
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The Arylamine N-acetyltransferase Gene Nomenclature Committee homepagePDBe-KBprovides an overview of all the structure information available in the PDB for Human Arylamine N-acetyltransferase 2
Human proteins
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